What is anthrax? What are the symptoms? Through what channels did it spread? How to effectively prevent it? Here comes the authoritative answer!

Recently, cattle and sheep anthracnose occurred one after another in Huannan County, Heilongjiang Province and Shengli Village, Keerqin District, Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia. at present, the person in charge of the Veterinary Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Village said that the epidemic of sheep anthrax in Huanan County, Heilongjiang Province had been effectively controlled. Cattle anthrax in Shengli Village, Keerqin District, Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia is being dealt with in an orderly manner. What is anthrax? What are the symptoms? Through what channels did it spread? How to effectively prevent it? Here comes the authoritative answer!

According to preliminary analysis, the two outbreaks occurred in old anthrax epidemic areas. Recently, heavy precipitation in Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia and other provinces, local continuous torrential rain, due to torrential rain, flood washing caused anthrax bacteria exposed to the surface, contact with livestock and caused the epidemic.

What is anthrax?

According to experts, anthrax is an acute, febrile, septic zoonosis caused by Bacillus anthracis. It is classified as a Class II animal epidemic in China, as a Class B infectious disease in the Law of the people's Republic of China on the Prevention and treatment of Infectious Diseases, and as a statutory animal reported disease by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Anthrax is a global zoonosis with annual cases ranging from 200 to 100000. Anthrax has occurred in Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Oceania. Anthrax in China is mainly concentrated in some provinces in northwest, southwest and northeast. The epidemic may occur all the year round, and the peak of the disease is from June to September every year. Drought and flood are the main causes.

Who is susceptible to anthrax?

All kinds of livestock and wild animals can be infected, and herbivores such as horses, cattle and sheep are the most susceptible. Anthrax is a zoonotic disease, and people can also be infected.

Humans and animals are transmitted mainly through the digestive tract and can also be infected through contact with the respiratory tract or injured skin. Contaminated soil, water sources and sites can form persistent epidemic foci. In most cases, the infection is caused by the intake of spores by herbivores such as cattle and sheep while grazing, and people are infected by other pollutants such as meat, fur, blood or soil of infected livestock. Contact with healthy cattle, sheep and other animals and their meat products will not be infected with anthrax.

How do herdsmen and farmers prevent and control anthrax?

Anthrax is mostly sporadic, but anthrax spores have strong resistance and can survive for more than 40 years in dry soil and polluted grasslands. It exists in nature for a long time. General disinfectants have poor killing effect on spores and are difficult to remove. Herdsmen and farms, especially in areas where anthrax has occurred, should be prevented from the following aspects:

Qualified farmers should immunize susceptible animals.

Strictly control the entry of personnel, vehicles and susceptible animals into the farm, and strictly implement disinfection measures for breeding grounds, enclosures and entry and exit of personnel, vehicles and articles.

Do not transfer susceptible animals from epidemic areas

Animals transferred from non-epidemic areas should have complete quarantine procedures, quarantine observation after landing, and rearing in mixed groups without abnormal conditions.

If it is found that cattle, sheep, pigs and other livestock die suddenly or bleed from natural holes, abdominal swelling, and rising body temperature, it is necessary to isolate dead or diseased animals, restrict their movement, and refrain from slaughtering, eating, selling or transferring sick and dead animals and their products, and report it to the local veterinary department in time.

Can beef and mutton and other animal meat products still be eaten?

Do not eat dead beef, mutton or meat products of unknown origin. Beef and mutton purchased through regular channels are quarantined and can be eaten thoroughly when cooking.

Event Review:

On August 8, the Ministry of Agriculture and Village received a report from the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau of Heilongjiang Province that an outbreak of sheep anthrax occurred in the breeding farm of Huanan County in the province. From July 29 to August 7, a total of 12 cases occurred and 7 died, and sporadic cases of human anthrax occurred one after another. As of the 9th, a total of 14 cases of human skin anthrax have been reported, of which one has been cured and discharged from hospital, while the rest of the patients are in stable and better condition, and the epidemic situation has been effectively controlled. (for details, see: why is it easy to occur at this time when people are infected with anthrax in Heilongjiang?)

Since August 7, cattle died of unknown cause in Shengli Village, Dalin Town, Keerqin District, Inner Mongolia Autonomous region, which was diagnosed as suspected bovine anthrax. As of 16:00 on August 13th, 54 cattle had been infected in the village, with 29 dead and 25 culled, and 16 suspected cases were found. at present, the patient is in stable condition. (for details, see: suspected bovine anthrax cases in Tongliao, Inner Mongolia have increased to 16. You need to know ↓ about anthrax.)